Drywall joint compound application method and package

ABSTRACT

A drywall compound package includes an outer bag containing a premeasured amount of compound powder and inner bag containing a premeasured amount of water. The inner and outer bags are sealed and joined together by heat or adhesive. The inner bag can be ruptured by manual pressure so that the water mixes with the powder. The outer bag is kneaded to mix the powder and water into a slurry. Then, a corner of the outer bag can be cut to form a discharge hole to squeeze out the slurry. A dispensement tool is provided in an upper pocket and enhances substantially complete discharge of slurry by twisting the outer bag around the tool.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Provisional Application U.S. Ser. No. 62/572,449, filed on Oct. 14, 2017, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed toward a prepackaged drywall joint compound for quick and easy preparation of the compound slurry and dispensement of the slurry to a drywall joint, crack or hole.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A slurry made from a mixture of powder and liquid, such as water, is typically used for filling joints or cracks in drywall or sheet rock during new wall construction and for repair of holes and cracks in existing walls. In conventional processes, the dry, joint compound powder is placed in a bowl, tub or bucket and water added thereto. The water and powder are mixed by hand or with an electric power mixer to form a slurry. However, thorough mixing is often difficult and proper consistency of the slurry is challenging due to failure to measure the powder and/or water components, or inaccurate measurements thereof. Furthermore, the powdered joint compound can generate dust into the air, which is undesirable for health reasons and for cleanup. Dust can also be generated when the water is added to the powder. Also, the hand or electric mixing tool normally is not used for applying the compound slurry to the drywall joint, thereby adding another object which must be cleaned after the drywall project is completed. Also, sometimes the powder and water are mixed in a first container, and then transferred to a second container for application to the drywall joint or crack, thereby adding another container which was to be cleaned upon completion of the project.

Also, if the joint or crack filling process takes longer than expected, the slurry may harden on the containers or mixing tools, which makes cleaning more difficult and time consuming. In such instances, some people choose to dispose of the containers and/or tools, rather than taking time to clean them, which adds to the cost of the overall project. If the containers and tools are cleaned before the slurry hardens, the cleaning process still takes time, and can be messy.

Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention of the provision of a drywall joint compound package and method of use which overcomes the problems of the prior art.

Another objective of the present invention is a provision of a drywall joint compound package and method of use which eliminates cleanup of mixing containers and tools.

Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a double bag package having a predetermined amount of joint compound powder in an outer bag and a predetermined amount of water in an inner bag to create a compound slurry with optimum consistency.

Still another objective of the present invention is a provision of a prepackaged kit with measured amounts of powdered joint compound and water, and a dispensement tool to facilitate discharge of the slurry mixture directly from a mixing bag to the drywall joint or crack.

These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A multi-compartment package includes an outer bag containing a measured amount of powdered drywall joint compound and an inner bag containing a measured volume of water. The outer and inner bags are sealed. The inner bag is made of material which can be ruptured by squeezing or hitting the inner bag, to allow water to escape into the outer bag and mix with the powder. The outer bag can then be kneaded to form a compound slurry mixture. A second inner bag or pocket is also provided within the outer bag and contains a flat tool to facilitate discharge of the slurry mixture from the outer bag. A corner of the outer bag is cut off after the slurry is created, and then the outer bag is twisted, wrapped or rolled about the internal tool so as to force the slurry mixture out of the hole in the corner of the bag and into the drywall joint or crack, for smoothing by a taping knife.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the package assembly for the drywall joint compound components, according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the package shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The joint compound package 10 of the present invention includes an outer bag 12 and an inner bag 14. The outer bag 12 is partially filled with a premeasured amount of joint compound powder 16. The inner bag 14 is filled with a premeasured amount of water 18. The outer bag 12 and the inner bag 14 are sealed to isolate the powder 16 and the water 18 from one another until it is time to mix these ingredients. Before sealing the bags 12, 14, as much air as possible is evacuated. The inner bag 14 is attached to the outer bag 12 by heat sealing or adhesive.

In a preferred embodiment, the outer and inner bags 12, 14 are made of a transparent plastic material, which allows the contents to be viewed. The inner bag 14 is made of a material with a thickness or gauge thin enough to allow the bag to be ruptured by manual pressure, such as squeezing, without damaging the outer bag 12. The outer bag may be the same or different material from the inner bag 14 but having a greater thickness or gauge than the material of the inner bag 14, so that the outer bag does not accidentally break or puncture. In the preferred embodiment, the inner bag 14 is also fixed or fastened to the outer bag 12, such as by heat sealing or adhesive, so as to prevent shifting of the inner bag 14 relative to the outer bag 12.

When a user is ready to fill a joint or crack in drywall or sheet rock, the package 10 can be picked up and squeezed so as to rupture the inner bag 14, thereby allowing the water 18 to mix with the powder 16. The user can knead the outer bag 12 so as to create a slurry compound mixture. Once the powder 16 and the water 18 are completely mixed to a homogenous slurry, a corner 20 of the bag can be cut off, such that the slurry can be squeezed from the outer bag 12 and into the drywall joint or crack for subsequent smoothing with a taping knife. Conventional drywall tape can also be used for the joint or crack to prevent future cracking, as is known in the art.

To facilitate discharge of the slurry from the outer bag 12, a dispensement tool 22 is provided in a separate pocket or second internal bag 24. The pocket or bag 24 may also be sealed from the contents of both of the outer bag 12 and the inner bag 14. As opposed to the separate bag or pocket 24 for the tool 22, tool 22 can be glued or otherwise adhered within the outer bag 12. The tool 22 provides a base about which the outer bag can be twisted, wrapped, or rolled to enhance and facilitate the squeezing of the slurry out of the corner 20. Without the tool 22, slurry tends to pool in various areas within the outer bag 12. The tool 22 helps squeezed the slurry from the upper corner toward the opposite lower cut corner 20 as the outer bag 12 is twisted about the tool 22, thereby minimizing residual slurry within the bag 12. Preferably, the tool 22 is flat and made of a rigid material, such as plastic. The edges of the tool 22 are smooth or rounded to prevent puncturing of the outer and inner bags 13, 14.

Thus, the package 10 holds the complete materials required for mixing quick setting or regular powder for drywall joint compounds, sometimes known as drywall mud. The outer bag or envelope 12 is made from plastic sheeting material with sufficient strength to withstand normal handling and abuse so as to avoid tears or punctures. The inner bag or envelope 14 is made from similar plastic sheeting material with a smaller gauge than the outer bag or envelope, so that the inner bag can be ruptured to create the drywall mud slurry with an optimal consistency for use in drywall finishing and patching.

In use, after the slurry is mixed, the outer bag can be manually squeezed to discharge most of the slurry, and then the outer bag 12 can be twisted or rolled around the tool 22 to force substantially all of the remaining slurry out the open corner 20.

With the package 10, and the premeasured water and powder components, the trial and error mixing methodology of the prior art is eliminated. By sealing the outer and inner bags 12, 14, and mixing the water and powder components inside the outer bag 12, the dust problem of the prior art is eliminated. Also, the package 10 eliminates the need for buckets or bowls, mixing tools, and a water source, as in the prior art. Furthermore, the package 10 eliminates cleaning, other than the taping knife or smoothing tool used to finish the drywall joint or crack. After the project is completed, the package 10 can be discarded. Also, the airtight nature of the outer bag 12 gives the user more time to do the drywall work before the slurry hardens.

The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of creating and dispensing a joint compound mixture for use with a drywall joint, comprising: storing dry joint compound power in a first sealed bag; storing water in a second sealed bag inside the first bag; rupturing the second bag to release the water into the first bag; mixing the water and the powder in the first bag to create a slurry; creating a hole in the first bag; twisting the outer bag about a tool inside the outer bag to squeeze the slurry out of the first bag into the drywall joint.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the hole is created by cutting a corner of the first bag.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second bag is ruptured by manual squeezing.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the tool in a separate pocket within the outer bag.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the bags are discarded without cleaning after the slurry is dispensed.
 6. A method of applying a joint compound slurry to a drywall joint, comprising: rupturing an inner bag containing water so that the water flows into an outer bag containing powdered joint compound; mixing the water and powdered joint compound in the outer bag to create a slurry; cutting a first corner of the outer bag to form a hole; twisting the outer bag about a tool in a second corner of the outer bag to force the slurry out of the hole in the outer bag and into a drywall joint.
 7. The method of claim 6 further comprising storing the tool in a pouch within the outer bag.
 8. The method of claim 6 wherein the first and second corners are opposite one another.
 9. The method of claim 6 further comprising disposing of the inner bag, outer bag, and tool after the slurry is applied to the drywall joint.
 10. A package for drywall joint compound, comprising: an outer sealed bag containing joint compound powder; a first inner sealed bag within the outer bag and containing water; and a second inner bag within the outer bag and containing a tool to facilitate dispensement of a slurry mixture from the outer bag.
 11. The package of claim 10 wherein the first inner bag is breakable by hand pressure to allow the water to mix with the powder in the outer bag to form the slurry mixture.
 12. The package of claim 10 wherein the outer bag is thicker gauge material than the first inner bag.
 13. The package of claim 10 wherein the first inner bag is a thinner gauge material than the outer bag.
 14. The package of claim 10 wherein the first inner bag and the outer bag are coupled together.
 15. The package of claim 10 wherein the powder and the water are measured to provide the slurry mixture with optimal consistency.
 16. The package of claim 10 wherein the outer bag is cut at a first corner after the slurry mixture is created to form a hole for discharge of the slurry mixture.
 17. The package of claim 16 wherein the second inner bag is adjacent a second corner of the outer bag opposite the first corner.
 18. The package of claim 16 wherein the tool forms a base about with the outer bag is rolled to discharge the slurry mixture through the hole in the first corner.
 19. The package of claim 10 wherein the tool is flat with rounded edges.
 20. The package of claim 10 wherein the tool is rigid. 